Book Image

Unreal Development Kit Beginner's Guide

By : Richard Moore
Book Image

Unreal Development Kit Beginner's Guide

By: Richard Moore

Overview of this book

Unreal Development Kit (UDK) is the free version of the award-winning Unreal Engine 3. It is used to create a wide variety of games ranging from amateur to professional standard next generation AAA titles. This book will show you exactly how to create an enjoyable and immersive game environment using the UDK. You will learn how to implement, level design, lighting, environmental effects, movement, terrain, map creation, item placement, kismet, materials and complex event sequences. You will work through the level design process from navigating round the editor to learning how to develop a fully playable environment. You will quickly master all of the engine’s key tools that are accessible through Unreal Engine 3. You will then start putting together your first level using step-by-step instructions. Next we will implement real world features such as dynamic lighting and shadows, particle effects, physics, terrain, item placement and advanced AI/bot pathing. Finally you will learn how to use UDK’s cutting edge high level scripting. By the end of this book you will be equipped with the skills to create an entertaining and imaginative game world.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Unreal Development Kit 3
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Pop Quiz Answers
Index

Why CSG?


We're going to use CSG geometry to rough out our level. It's the in-editor 3D modeling tool. While you could rough out the level in a 3D application such as Maya, Max, or even AutoCad, CSG gives you an incredibly fast turnaround when you begin working out the gameplay of your level. It's much easier than going back-and-forth between the different software packages.

That said, CSG isn't good for anything very detailed. It's expensive, it's hard to work with, and is prone to errors if the geometry gets too complicated. For this reason, it's great for prototyping since you don't want to add much detail in the early stages. It's also suitable for some simple geometry in the final level, as you can see in some of the epic's maps.